Manchester Essex School Committee Unanimously Adopts $32.7 Million Level Services Budget

ESSEX — March 18, 2025 — Manchester Essex Regional School Committee unanimously adopts $32.7 million level services budget for FY26. The committee voted 7-0 Tuesday night to approve the modified carry forward level services budget at $32,682,198, preserving the middle school principal through an interim appointment rather than eliminating the position outright following a retirement. Superintendent Pam Beall warned that if an override fails at the ballot, the district faces a contingency reduction plan of 21 to 27 positions — "a fundamentally different school district," in the words of committee member Erica Gillsbury, who made the motion. Essex faces an override with an estimated impact of just over $500 per average household; Manchester expects to cover its share without an override at just under $500 per household. The committee also approved a $3,963,063 capital budget and transferred $500,000 from the district's stabilization fund to launch the Essex Elementary School feasibility study, a $1.5 million project split among the district and the two towns. A detailed contingency cut list is expected at the April 1 meeting, with a decision on school choice enrollment deferred to May 20 pending the outcome of Essex's May 13 override ballot.